sabi nga ni Atoy Co, the ball is AROUND...

I congratulate Iran for winning the FIBA-Asia Championship.  Not only they defeated China in basketball, it looked like they demolished the Chinese Team.  China looked like a junior team playing a senior team in collegiate basketball.  

A worthy lesson for this year’s edition of FIBA-Asia championships: NBA experience does not guarantee a formidable team in world basketball, unless your national teammate is Lebron James and Kobe Bryant.  Even Kobe and Lebron did have a hard time in Beijing Olympics, and so have Wang Zhizhi and Yi Jianlian last Sunday.  The Iranians took the Chinese team back to school.  Iran’s offense was fluid, their shooting was remarkable, and I even saw 7 footer Ehdadi penetrating for a layup.


Another lesson that team Pilipinas should learn from their 8th place finish in Tianjin is the familiarization to international rules.  The PBA backed team will never ever win in international competitions unless FIBA rules are used in the PBA.  My suggestion is either the PBA use FIBA rules or do not send PBA players to FIBA competitions at all.  Talent wise they are good, but they will always lose.  I am not disparaging them, they all deserve praises for their gallant effort, but their strategy is questionable.  Three months of experience will never win against three years of practice.  We saw that in Iran.  Their moves we very much basic and yet China was not able to stop them.


Yeng Guiao is a good coach but he is not the right man for the job.  FOR SOMEONE WHO INDIRECTLY CONSPIRED WITH A WIFE OF A GAMBLING LORD TO CHEAT A PRIEST IN A LOCAL ELECTION, HE DOES NOT HAVE THE CREDIBILITY TO REPRESENT THIS COUNTRY AS A NATIONAL COACH.  Again, delicadeza should come to mind when we represent the country in international competitions.  Imagine if the opponent lost the game by 2 points and learned that the other coach has a history of cheating, directly or indirectly.  Credibility is always at stake when the pride of the country is at stake.  I would rather lose by 50 points rather than winning dubiously by 2 points.


When in Rome, do what the Romans do.  The world is improving in international basketball.  Why?  They follow the mandate of FIBA.  They use FIBA rules.  They recruit naturalized players.  They TRAIN, years - not months.  Their National Team was composed 3 years ago, not 3 months ago.  They practice all year round, inside and outside the country.  They have mastered the basic skills.  They are NOT relying on 3 point shots alone.  They are doing what our basketball team has been ignoring for decades.  Stick to basics, and not for showmanship.  Everybody has talent, some are more talented than others, but basketball is still a five man game.  What you do in the court should depend on what your teammates can do, unless if you are Michael Jordan resurrected.  We can win again in Asia if we put the right attitude, and right attitude means following directions – in this case – FIBA rules.  And who knows, we might just get a naturalized player or two for mandatory reasons and not by necessity.


You lose some, you win some.  Losing is ugly, it diminishes confidence.  When you are not confident enough, your body will be hounded by the tension of losing, even if you have all the talent to succeed.  


In basketball, the ball is round.  But you will never lose your confidence to win if you know how the ball will roll…